3 . Shenzhen in Guangdong province has become the first city in China to allow specialist nurses to prescribe (开药方) selected drugs and order tests, in a move that is expected to increase efficiencies in the healthcare system and reduce the patient-load burden on physicians.

Under a new rule in October that took effect in January, eligible nurses will be permitted to order examinations, treatments considering their expert skills and knowledge of specialist nursing or community healthcare. Their prescriptions must be based on existing diagnoses (诊断) made by physicians.

To become a nursing specialist, applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, five years of working experience, obtained an advanced nursing qualification and have attended a months-long specialist training program and passed a final test.

“Medical institutions must review inappropriate prescriptions given by nurses,” said the regulation. “Nursing specialists who are found to have given three or more improper prescriptions will have their prescribing power stopped for three to six months and will have to undergo retraining before regaining the authorization,” it added.

“Considering the difference in professional positioning, medical education background and work experience between physicians and nurses, it is necessary to fully analyze the necessity and practicability of the nurses’ prescriptive authority,” the commission said.

Zhou Wensi has a bachelor’s degree in nursing and is now a specialist nurse in periodontitis (牙周炎) , or gum disease, at Shenzhen Stomatology Hospital in the city’s Pingshan district.

“Our hospital has not begun allowing us to prescribe. If the rule goes into effect in the future, we’ll likely be able to directly prescribe mouthwash, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers to patients,” she said.

   However, she also noted that most patients visiting the hospital are in need of treatment delivered by doctors with assistance from nurses like her, so the new regulation is not expected to have a major impact.

Hua Tuo was a famous physician in the later years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is     1     (wide) known as the first doctor in traditional Chinese medicine to invent some anesthetic (麻醉的) herbal formulas and the first surgeon to conduct abdominal (腹部的) operations. Hua also created     2    set of therapeutic qigong exercises called Wuqinxi,    3     imitate the movement of tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird, and are still popular today.

Hua later appeared in many     4     (legend) stories. One of them is about how Hua did surgery on Guan Yu, a famous general of the Kingdom of Shu, without using any anesthetic.

According to the story, after Guan’s right arm    5     (wound) in a battle by a poisonous arrow, he invited Hua to help treat the wound. First, Hua wanted the general    6     (take) his anesthetic. The general laughed and sad that it was unnecessary since he was not afraid     7     pain. So, without applying any anesthetic, Hua used a scalpel (手术刀) to cut off the poisoned flesh from Guan’s arm and then scraped the affected bones while the general calmly played chess.    8     (listen) to the sound of bone scraping, the onlookers’ faces turned pale,    9    the general never uttered a single sound of discomfort throughout the operation.

This popular story shows both the doctor’s exceptional skill and the rare    10     (brave) of the general.

8 . In many regions of Ghana, it can take hours to get to the nearest hospital. As a result, many people lose their lives to treatable illnesses. Osei Boateng experienced this personally when he lost his grandmother and aunt. Feeling an urgent call to help, Boateng decided he would make it his life mission to bring health care to remote communities in Ghana.

Boateng started his nonprofit, OKB Hope Foundation 2 years ago, he converted a van (厢式货车) into a mobile doctor’s office and started bringing health care directly to those in need. A few times a week, the mobile clinic and medical team travel long distance to remote communities in Ghana and provide free routine medical care.

On each trip, Boateng’s team consists of a nurse, a physician’s assistant, a doctor, and an operation assistant. In the van, they can run basic labs like bloodwork as well as prescribe and provide medications. “It’s like a one-stop shop for people,” said Boateng, adding that most of the people they see have one health issue or another.

Since its launch, Boateng says the Hope Health Van has served more than 4,000 Ghanaians across more than 45 rural communities who otherwise don’t have easily accessible medical care. Boateng has big plans for the future. He hopes to expand to provide more consistent and high-quality mobile medical care not only to those living in remote areas of Ghana but in other countries as well.

Boateng has gone all in on his OKB Hope Foundation, recently quitting his job to dedicate his time to bringing health care to his home country. But for him, the sacrifices are well worth the reward. “Words cannot describe the feeling that you get providing care for someone who otherwise wouldn’t be alive if your mobile health van wasn’t there.”